Bush describes eventual pullout

Plan mirrors study group's conclusions

May 25, 2007|By Peter Spiegel Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON — President Bush said Thursday that once the current buildup of forces improves security in the Iraqi capital, he plans to follow the troop withdrawal plan proposed last winter by a bipartisan study group, embracing recommendations once spurned by his administration.

Speaking at a White House press conference, Bush for the first time fully adopted the blueprint outlined in December by the Iraq Study Group, saying he envisions U.S. troops gradually moving out of their current combat roles and into support and training functions.

"You know, I would like to see us in a different configuration at some point in time in Iraq," Bush said, referring to the study group by the names of its co-chairmen, former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and ex-Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind. "The recommendations of Baker-Hamilton appealed to me."

Bush's remarks were the clearest yet on his vision for the future U.S. role in Iraq.

It also represents a significant shift in his public position on the study group's recommendations, which were embraced by war critics when they first were unveiled, but largely ignored by the White House.

When the Iraq Study Group delivered its report to the White House last year, Bush said he agreed with its assessment of the dire situation inside Iraq, but made clear that he did not share its conclusions, particularly those on troop withdrawals.

Despite Thursday's public shift, however, Bush made clear that he did not necessarily see the move to a more limited role for U.S. troops coming soon, emphasizing that tamping down violence using his current "surge" strategy must take precedence.

"I didn't think we could get there unless we increased the troop levels to secure the capital," he said.

Still, he said, the next phase of the war would have U.S. troops train Iraqis, guard the country's borders and pursue al-Qaida. The study group recommended a reduction by next year to a U.S. force size necessary for training Iraqi troops, about 20,000. Bush did not specifically endorse those targets.

When Bush unveiled his new Iraq buildup strategy in January, it was seen as a repudiation of the Iraq Study Group. Since then, however, several key Republicans have begun to question the Bush administration's strategy as public support for the war continued to wane. A New York Times/CBS News poll issued Thursday showed that 61 percent of Americans now think that the United States never should have invaded Iraq, the highest level since the question has been asked.

Bush acknowledged at his Rose Garden news conference that by ordering a review in September by the new commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David Petraeus, he may be inviting insurgents to step up their attacks this summer to influence U.S. decision making.

"It could make August a tough month, because, you see, what they're going to try to do is kill as many innocent people as they can to try to influence the debate here at home," Bush said. "It could be a bloody; it could be a very difficult August, and I fully understand that."